We investigated the ultraviolet (UV) responses of a heterojunction Si quantum dot (QD) solar cell consisting of p-type Si-QDs fabricated on a n-type crystalline Si (p-Si-QD/n-c-Si HJSC). The UV responses were compared with a conventional n-type crystalline Si solar cell (n-c-Si SC). The external and internal quantum efficiency results of the p-Si-QD/n-c-Si HJSC exhibited a clear enhancement in the UV responses (300-400 nm), which was not observed in the n-c-Si SC. Based on the results of the cell reflectance and bias-dependent responses, we expect that almost all UV responses occur in the p-Si-QD layer, and the generated carriers can be transported via the Si-QD layer due to the formation of a sufficient electric filed. As a result, a high power conversion efficiency of 14.5% was achieved from the p-Si-QD/n-c-Si HJSC. By reducing the thickness of the n-Si substrate from 650 μm to 300 μm, more enhanced power conversion efficiency of 14.8% was obtained which is the highest value among the reported Si-QD based solar cells to date.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.